James burnett ivey



(Mm) J. B.- ,IVE'Y.

DRIVE CHAIN. No. 470,141. Patented Mar. 1,1892.

WZ'MQSSS. WM m $44M n YERS co., mmomuo wlsnmarou u c UNTTED STATES JAMESBURNETT 1 ATENT FFicE.

DRIVE-CHAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,141, dated March 1,1892.

Application filed July 30,1890. Serial No. 360,417. (Model) To aZZ whomit may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES BURNETT IVEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Macon, in the county of Bibb and State of Georgia,

have invented a new and useful Link for stretched in position. Iaccomplish this re sult by the means illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of two of my improvedlinks coupled together, the chain of which they are a part beingstretched out straight in position. Fig. 2 is a plan of one of theselinks. Fig. 3 is half of a back end elevation of one of these links.Fig. 4 is half of a front end elevation of one of these links. Fig. 5 isa side elevation of two of these links coupled together, both beingsupposed to be in position against the rim of the wheel with whose teeththey engage. Fig. 6 is a plan of one style of my link-coupling. Fig. 7is a plan of another style of my link-coupling; Fig. 8 is an endelevation of a brace or butting piece to be bolted to and. underneaththe links upper flange or to the slats attached to the link, ashereinafter to be explained. Fig. 9 isa plan of this brace or buttingpiece.

Underneath the link and attached to one or both of its longitudinalsides is a vertical brace-flange A, of considerable depth and sufficientthickness to have ample tensile strength. In this flange is a hole 13and a slit 0. A brace-coupling D has its front end inserted in the holeB and the back end in the slit 0 in the next link, so that said frontend can turn freely in the hole B, while said back end can slide freelyin the slit 0, and any suitable mode of securing the coupling in thelinks whether by pins, as here shown, or by nuts, keys, &c.may be used.Now the coupling is to be made of such a length that when the chain isstretched out straight the couplings two ends will be both subjected toa pulling strain, the back end being brought into the front end of theslit in which it slides, as can be seen in Fig. 5 of the drawings; also,when a load is thrown on top of the chains straight portion apart of thestrain is sustained by the coupling, which likewise evidently resiststhe tendency of the chain to sag down; but when the chain attempts tobend around its sprocket-wheels the coupling allows this by sliding itsback end in the link-slit, as is also shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.If desired, a flange A can be attached to and underneath the otherlongitudinal side of the link also, and can likewise be provided with aslit 0 and coupling D, arranged to operate like those already described.

That form of the coupling D which is used in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5 isshown in plan in Fig. 6, being kept in place by pins or keys. Ifpreferred, however, other forms may be used, among them being thedouble-U-shaped one exhibited in plan in Fig. 7. In this case no pins orkeys are needed to keep this coupling in place. In both forms here showneach coupling consists of two portions, which are threaded at the ends,so as to enter a turnbuckle nut E. This nut has a right-handed thread atone end and a left-handed one at the other, and the couplings portionsends are threaded to correspond therewith, so that by turning the nutthe coupling may be lengthened or shortened at pleasure. The object ofthis arrangement is to enable the coupling to be adjusted so as to suitlinklength variations arising from'wear or other causes.

The upper portion of the link has two horizontal flanges G G, to whichcan be bolted the slats or floor-pieces of the belt, if such are used.Beneath and attached to these flanges G G are bolted horizontalbutting-pieces F, whose duty is to receive each others thrust when thechain attempts to sag down; but the ends of these butting-pieces are sosloped by beveling them off underneath as to allow them to approach eachother likelthelleaves of a book when their links attempt to pass aroundveyer-chains, the link provided with one'or two depending side flanges,each of these flanges containing an aperture and an oblique slot, and abrace-coupling device pivoted in the aperture of one flange of the linkand adapted to slide in the oblique slot of the flange of the nextadjacentlink, substantially as described.

In braced drive-chains and in braced conveyer-chains, a brace-couplingdevice adjust: able in length and attached to each of two consecutivelinks, one end of said coupling being pivoted in an aperture in thedepending side flange of one link, while the other end of the couplingslides in an oblique slot in the depending side flange of the otherlink, substantially as described.

J AMES BURNETT IVEY.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR P. GRACE, W. B. BIRCH.

